Machine for the continuous casting of metal rods



|. PROPERZI Nov. 24, 1953 MACHINE FOR THE CONTINUOUS CASTING OF METAL.RODS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 8. 1951 [fiver/for 1' lario ProperziAffy.

Nov. 24, 1953 I. PROPERzl MACHINE FOR THE CONTINUOUS CASTING OF METALRODS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 8. 1951 Any |. PROPERZI- Nov. 24, 1953MACHINE FOR THE CONTINUOUS CASTING 0F METAL RODS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FiledNov. 8. 1951 1' lario Properz/ Patented Nov. 24, 1953 MACHINE FOR THECONTINUOUS CASTING F METAL RODS Ilario Properzi, Milan, ItalyApplication November 8, 1951, Serial N 0. 255,474

3 Claims.

Machines for the continuous casting of metal rods are known in which themolten metal is poured into a groove formed in the peripheral rim of awheel, such rim having a flexible strap wrapped around an arcuateportion thereof to cover the corresponding part of the groove and drivenby the motion of said wheel, and said strap being in the form of anendless belt which also passes over a pulley with an axis parallel tothat of said wheel. Such a machine is disclosed and claimed in copendingapplication Serial No. 78,372, filed February 25, 1949 in the name ofthe present inventor. A modification of such a machine, in which thecontainer for the molten metal and the pulley are adjustable about theaxis of rotation of the wheel, is disclosed in copending applicationSerial No. 199,387, filed December 6, 1950, in the name of the presentinventor.

' It is an object of this invention to provide a machine in which thepouring of the molten metal into the groove in the wheel can be readilycontrolled.

The molten metal is poured into the groove in the casting wheel from acontainer, e. g. a crucible, and another object of the present inventionis to make the crucible position convenient and particularly suitable.This object is achieved by placing the container to one side of thewheel in such a way that a pouring nozzle of the crucible projectslaterally therefrom and is inserted between said wheel and ribbon, closeto the contact point of the same ribbon with the wheel, and providing anassembly for effecting an adjustment of this nozzle as required.

In the known machine of this kind, the cru-- cible is placed just abovethe wheel, between the latter and the band. This arrangement preventsthe observation of the level of the liquidmetal in the groove. Since itis very important to control the height of this level, various meanshavebeen proposed for indicating the level of the molten metal duringoperation of the machine, in lieu of visual observation. In the machineaccording to the invention, the level of the molten metal is clearly andeasily visible by the operator, because the position of the crucibledoes not hide the liquid surface in the groove and does not disturb theoperator when looking into the groove.

According'to a feature of the invention and in order to allow anypossible and necessary adjusting movement of the container position, thecontainer is supported to have several degrees of freedom to adjust thenozzle position in relation to the aforesaid groove, and to control thehead of molten metal in the container;

Another object of the invention is to make use of the gases heating thecrucible to avoid the contact between the molten metal that flows out ofthe nozzle, and the surrounding air, which would otherwise oxidize it.The latter object is achieved by conveying the hot gases through ahollow jacket of the crucible and about the nozzle to form a protectiveenvelope around the issuing metal. In addition the nozzle isconsequently directly heated by such gases.

It is a primary aim of the present invention, therefore, to provide amachine having the aforesaid features, making it particularly suitableto the manufacture of metal wires and rods produced by a known system.

An embodiment of the present invention is illustrated, by way of exampleonly, in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a rod casting. machine embodying thefeatures of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view with parts in section of part of the machine,shown enlarged.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the molten metal container of the machineshowing the position of the container in relation to the wheel, and

Figure 4 is a side view, partly in section, of a modification of themolten metal container.

The casting machine illustrated comprises a wheel I rotatably mounted ona base III about a shaft 2 and driven through a chain 3 from a reductiongear 4 which, in turn, is operated by a motor 5 through a continuousspeed gear box 6.

The annular peripheral surface or rim of the wheel I is furnished with agroove 1 therein, this being closed by'a flexible belt orstrap 8 aroundthat part of the wheel rim embraced by said belt. Thisllatter is ofendless form and is wrapped around said wheel I and a Jockey pulley 9for maintaining the belt taut. The wheel I is cooled in known fashion bywater circulating through cavities in the spokes and rim thereof.

The pulley 9 isrotatably mounted on an upstanding arm II which, in turn,is rotatably mounted .on shaft 2. The upper end of this arm is formed toreceivea bearing post, the latter having a cylindrical socket forreceiving a spring I2 by means of which the mounting and rotary spindleof pulley 9 are urged upwards in resilient fashion. j

The casting'metal container, which isin the form of a crucible, isplaced laterally of the wheel I.. It consists of outer and innerhousings,v I3 and I4 respectively, which are spaced from one another todefine a jacket I5 wherein gas is formed around the fluent issuingmetal, 1

preventing any contact between this metal and the oxidizing ambientatmosphere before its ena trance into the groove i of the wheel 1.Moreover, the fact that nozzle I6 is heated by the burnt gases helps tokeep the issuing metal at m the crucible temperature.

Furthermore, owing to the position, of the.

crucible, it is possible to see the liquid level in the groove 'I-inwheel I by inspecting it from above and the. heat transmitted by thecrucible does not disturb the operator when he looks into the-groove.

The crucible is slidably supported by a supporting member 22 which, inturn, is pivoted at 23-r-to: agframe 23a, the frame being rotatablymounted on shaft 2. Frame 23a has a toothed sector 2| which meshes witha pinion 20, the pinion being rotatably mounted on arm II and driven, bya hand wheel l9. The crucible support 22 may berotated about pivot 23 bya driving member 24'.

The arrangement of thecrucible is such that it can be shifted in morethan one way relatively to. the machine, base. Firstly, it can berotated about the wheel shaft 2, so as to advance or retract the nozzleto or'from its tangential point between the belt 8and wheel I. Theseoperations can be effected through the driving hand wheel I9 and pinionwhich meshes with the toothed sector-2l rigid with frame 23a, the latterbeing pivoted at axis 2 and having a support 22 carrying the cruciblesupporting member 22. Thus, by rotating wheel IS, the frame is rotated,about axis 2 and the, said cruciblecan be given'a movement suitable tocause itsnozzle to runcircumferentially along the periphery of thewheel. I

'Ifhesupport 22together with the crucible may be rotated about the pivot23, which extends parallel totheshafts of wheel I and pulley 9, byoperation of a drivingmember 24, thus causing the nozzle to approach, orbe withdrawn from, the'wheel in a. substantially radial direction,

The support 22 is so equipped asito permit also a movement of thecrucible in a direction parallelto the wheel shaft. Such shifting is'effect-, ed by'means of a threaded mandrel 25 carrying members 26,themembers 26 having threaded apertures engaging the mandrel and thesemembers being rigidly connected to the crucible which is carriedtherefrom on support 22.

Suitable means are also provided to enable the position of pulley 9 inrelation to wheel I to be varied. Hence, the angle comprised between'thehorizontal and a straight line passing through the'pivoting axes ofwheel I and pulley 9. has to be varied, though within small limits,accord-. ing to the working characteristics of the metal used. For thispurpose ascrew mechanism, operable by a hand wheel 21, is provided. Thismechanismengages the arm II and, by manipulating the. hand wheel 21,this arm can be tiltedv in various directions about shaft 2, A post 28,

rigid with the machine frame, is provided to support the mechanism.

In the modification of Fig. 4, the crucible construction is somewhatsimpler, the inner housing l4 being supported on refractory material andno provision being made for the aforesaid heating and protective gases.

Many changes may, of course, be made within the scope of the invention,resulting from a, replacement of the described construction, on itsparts, by others that are operatively and technically equivalent andfulfill the same purposes.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declarethatwhat I claim is:

1. In apparatus for the continuous casting of molten metal having arotatable casting wheel with a peripheral casting groove therein, apulley rotatable about an axis spaced from and parallel to the axis ofrotation of said wheel, and an endless beltv looped around said wheeland said pulley and defining an enclosed area with said wheel and pulleytherein, with said endless belt contacting the wheel as a closure forsaid groove to provide a casting mold, the combination with said wheel,pulley and belt including an upstanding arm rotatable about the axis ofrotation of the aforesaid casting wheel for supporting the aforesaidpulley, supporting means rotatable about the axis of rotation of theaforesaid casting wheel, a crucible supported on said supporting meansand having a nozzle extending therefrom between the aforesaid belt andwheel into the aforesaid casting groove, and means for rotating saidsupporting means with respect to said upstanding arm about the axis ofrotation of the aforesaid casting wheel to move said crucibleand saidnozzle thereon to vary the position of the nozzle circumferentiallyalong the periphery of said wheel.

2. In apparatus for the continuous casting of molten metal having arotatable casting wheel with a peripheral casting groove therein, apulley rotatable about an axis spaced from and parallel to the axis ofrotation of said wheel, and an endless belt looped around said wheel andsaid pulley and defining an enclosed. area with said Wheel and pulleytherein, with said; endless belt con-- tacting the wheel as a closurefor said groove to provide a casting mold, the combination with saidwheel, ulley and belt including an upstanding arm-rotatable about theaxis of rotation of the aforesaid casting wheel for supporting the Iaforesaid pulley, supporting means rotatable about the axis of rotationof theaforesaid cast ing wheel, a crucible supported on said supportingmeans at one side of the aforesaid casting wheel and having a nozzleextending therefrom between the aforesaid belt and wheel into theaforesaid casting groove, means for rotating said supporting means withrespect to said upstanding arm about the axis of rotation of theaforesaid casting wheel to move said crucible and said noz zle thereonto vary the position of the nozzle circumferentially along the peripheryof said wheel, and means for rotating said upstanding arm about the axisof rotation of the aforesaid casting wheel to adjust the angularposition of said arm.

3..In apparatus for the continuous casting of molten metal having arotatable casting wheel with a peripheral casting groove therein, apulley rotatable about an axis spaced from and parallel to the axis ofrotation of said wheel, and an end-.

less belt looped around said wheel and said pulley and defining anenclosed area with said wheel and pulley therein, with said endless beltcontacting the wheel as a closure for said groove to provide a castingmold, the combination with said wheel, pulley and belt including anupstanding bracket rotatable about the axis of rotation of the aforesaidwheel for supporting the aforesaid pulley, an arm rotatable about theaxis of rotation of the aforesaid casting Wheel, a supporting memberpivotally mounted on said arm about an axis spaced from and parallel tothe axis of rotation of the aforesaid casting wheel, a cruciblesupported on said supporting member at one side of the aforesaid castingwheel and having a nozzle extending laterally therefrom between theaforesaid belt and wheel into the aforesaid casting groove, a controlmeans for rotating said supporting member about its pivotal axis on saidarm to move said nozzle in a substantially radial direction with respectto the aforesaid wheel, and means mounted on said upstanding bracket andengaging said arm for rotating said arm with respect to said upstandingbracket about the axis of rotation of the aforesaid casting wheel tomove said crucible and said nozzle thereon to vary the position of thenozzle circumferentially along the periphery of said wheel.

ILARIO PROPERZI.

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